Incense of the Day

[Proust Madeleine]

He (or his shipper) mixed up Mysore with Timor Agarwood. I had pointed it out to him after I noticed 3 grams of very sandal smelling sticks in my 2 gram agarwood tube and vice versa 😅

I wonder if any Mysore buyers are noticing a darker profile than they expected. I would’ve loved to have tried that!

 

[Bombay]

Burning some Malaysian oud that one of my friends picked it up from Dubai, it burnt really fast on the coal, may be I shd have waited a bit longer for more ash to form. But I added some green Hojari Frankincense from RisingPhoenix perfumery on the same coal, after a while. Beautiful experience.

 

[KhalidW]

Burned some Khushboo from RPP last night. Very rich and complex, especially compared to most Indian incense you find these days which is not great (I'm sure there are hidden gems I don't know about). The general profile arouses some nostalgia in me as it reminds me of some textile shops in Bradford Sharif I used to go to over 20 years ago, including the one where I got my first Quran and prayer mat when I converted. Trying to pick out individual scents is like chasing shadows as it is constantly morphing: one moment strong sandalwood, the next soft musk, the next frankincense so clean I almost forgot what I was burning. I'm glad I picked these up.

It's nice to get back into Asian incense after years of only burning oud, bakhour, and various Middle Eastern gums. Got some sticks from Japan and Tibet on the way too, can't wait!

 

[Oudamberlove]

Indonesian/Brunei/Cultivated Kinam
homemade stick

Still needs more drying,
but just for a sneak peek,
the individual profiles do not stand-out,
it’s has a blended character not regional,
lots of smoke and agarwoodiness.

I have always felt that the smell of combusted Kinam is not quite like gently heated Kinam,
so assessing a Kinam stick can be tricky.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Dr. Incense Kalimantan

The top note reminds me of Lindaraja.

 

[Castingshadows]

Ken’s Spring Vigor

I struggle smelling florals in incense but this one is really nice!

 

[Castingshadows]

Indonesian/Brunei/Cultivated Kinam
homemade stick

Still needs more drying,
but just for a sneak peek,
the individual profiles do not stand-out,
it’s has a blended character not regional,
lots of smoke and agarwoodiness.

I have always felt that the smell of combusted Kinam is not quite like gently heated Kinam,
so assessing a Kinam stick can be tricky.

I was always curious about the prospect of using cultivated Kinam in incense. I wonder if creating a tincture and using that in the mix would impart a more true aroma?

 

[Proust Madeleine]

Ken’s Spring Vigor

I struggle smelling florals in incense but this one is really nice!

You getting the osmanthus? Should be almost fruity... that's the main floral component, imo

 

[Oudamberlove]

I was always curious about the prospect of using cultivated Kinam in incense. I wonder if creating a tincture and using that in the mix would impart a more true aroma?

That’s uncharted territory.

 

[Castingshadows]

You getting the osmanthus? Should be almost fruity... that's the main floral component, imo

I get a really interesting ethereal quality to this one. Not so much fruity but my nose still has issues smelling auxiliary notes in incense. Florals seem to be the most difficult for me to smell but with how hot it is outside I found that sitting in my hammock at night and lighting a stick on my back patio creates this scent bubble that just lingers. I’m hoping to bask in this tonight!

 

[Himanshu Sharma]

Ken's Redolence

Niche Tibetan blend. Frankincense and spikenard create a beautiful aroma along with red cedar.

 

[Castingshadows]

Pulled out For the Buddha last night.

a quarter stick lingered outdoors for hours. Crazy how much this one clings to everything. Probably my favorite afterglow out of any stick I’ve burned from Ken. Devadaru is my favorite profile though.

 

[Himanshu Sharma]

Ken's Cedarflower

Delicate, refined. I ran out of it. I hope he makes these again.

 

[Himanshu Sharma]

NoName Nha Trang sticks followed by Ken's Nha Trang Sticks

There's something about Vietnam agarwood. Hoi an or Nha Trang. Old, Vintage, High frequency vibes are what I get from this profile.

 

[Castingshadows]

Gangtruk Monastery this morning.

Outdoor fumigation is my preferred method for Tibetan sticks. There’s something so beautiful about the herbs, juniper and musk.

 

[Oudamberlove]

My homemade Kinam blend stick

After a few more days of drying,
the kinam note is more perceptible.

 

[Bombay]

Chinese mugwort by Dr.Incense

 

[Oudamberlove]

Dr. Incense Assam

Nice profile…a colorful scent spectrum,
one would even think that there’s aromatics added. I wonder why this wood was not used extensively by the Japanese Incense houses,
maybe because it has been scarce for quite a while.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Shunkohdo Vietnam Kanhoa

Although not a refined aroma,
it does have the raw Vietnamese profile,
as opposed to “added aromatics”.

 

[Oudamberlove]

Ken’s PNG

Very nice and region specific.